RIVER ROUGE, Mich. – A public hearing was scheduled Wednesday night to address the plan to allow Marathon refinery in southwest Detroit to emit more pollution than it currently does.
For years, people living near the refinery have complained of bad smells. They're worried this will make it worse.
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Marathon is asking the state of Michigan to grant it the ability to emit more sulfur dioxide and other pollutants into the air. It's a move to reduce sulfur levels in gasoline, which is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
An initial Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) report suggests increasing the pollutants will make a negligible difference. However, the EPA says sulfur dioxide levels in this area of southwest Detroit already are too high.
Wednesday night's meeting was the last time there would be public comment on what Marathon is asking for.
MDEQ's credibility is at issue. Already a group of state senators from Detroit are urging the agency not to give Marathon the go-ahead. The politicians cite the water crisis in Flint as an example of MDEQ's poor judgement.